whitney helmhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com
reporting. writing. coffeeTue, 26 Sep 2017 19:44:33 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngwhitney helmhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com
North Korea expels Second In Commandhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/north-korea-expels-second-in-command/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/north-korea-expels-second-in-command/#respondTue, 10 Dec 2013 16:23:24 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=277Continue reading →]]>According to reports, Kim Jong Un has removed his uncle Jang Sung Taek from his position as Jong Un’s second in command. This is the second time that Kim Jong Un has removed his uncle.

The Korea News Agency, ran by the government in North Korea reported that Jang Sung Taek “was soaked with the capitalist lifestyle.”

The public oust could result in more political turmoil because Sung Taek has been many powerful political connections, reported a Los Angeles Times article.

So far, there hasn’t been any reports about what this oust could do to help or hinder U.S.-North Korea relations.

Updated:10/11/13

There has been some reaction for China about Jang Sung Taek’s departure.

India’s The Hindustan Times points out that Beijing’s unease with the changed dynamics at the top of the government in Pyongyang were reflected in an editorial in the state-run nationalist tabloid, the Global Times, on Tuesday.

“As Jang was viewed as the second-most powerful figure and is North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s uncle, this announcement is considered a significant political event,” it said.

Even so, the newspaper acknowledged that the two countries “have long taken different paths” and that their mutual interests were not about ideology.

“A friendly relationship between China and North Korea is not only critical to the North, but also a strategic and diplomatic leverage for China. With China’s rise, its diplomatic leverage will become greater, yet the impact of bilateral relations in the Asia-Pacific region is irreplaceable,” the editorial said.

There has been no public reaction from the United States.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/north-korea-expels-second-in-command/feed/0whithelmNothing to Envyhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/nothing-to-envy/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/nothing-to-envy/#respondTue, 10 Dec 2013 14:37:15 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=275Continue reading →]]>When Barbara Demick moved to Seoul, South Korea as a the Beijing Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, North Korea was a mystery. The country had media controlled by the state which preached propaganda. Even throughout her reporting there, Demick found it difficult to hone in on the lives of the citizens of North Korea.

Until she focused on the defectors or people that left North Korea for its ill-liked southern counterpart, in her book “Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives In North Korea” focuses on six.

The book opens with a love story or rather the promise of one. Mir-an, a now married and pregnant schoolteacher living in South Korea remises on her first love Ju-Sung. Their story is a bit star-crossed because he is of a higher family ranking than hers. Other stories include an orphaned teenager, a female doctor, a mother and daughter, and a model citizen middle-age factory worker.

Demick traces their lives through major events and provides brief historical context recounting how the Koreas became separated, the famine of 1996 and the death of ruler Kim Sung II. She trails them, pinpointing the exact moments that they lost faith in the regime, when they fled to South Korea and why.

She vividly describes the famine and how food rations slowly became smaller until all the defectors turned to the black market for food.

They would look at me with accusing eyes. Even four-year-olds knew they were dying and that I wasn’t doing anything to help them, “said Dr.Kim. “All I was capable of doing was to cry with their mothers over the bodies afterward.”

Last year the Center for Protecting Journalists ranked North Korea the second most censored country in the world. It’s review read, “nearly all the content of North Korea’s 12 main newspapers, 20 periodicals, and broadcasters comes from the official Korean Central News Agency and focuses on the political leadership’s statements and supposed activities. Ruling elites have access to the World Wide Web, but the public is limited to a heavily monitored and censored network with no connections to the outside world.”

Demick provides detailed examples of this. She writes about how many of the other Asian countries achievements were dismissed by the North Korean government, such as South Korea or China’s booming economies.

For Dr. Kim, it wasn’t until reaching South Korea, a trip she made to find her extended family, that she realized what she had believed her whole life about the southern country was wrong.

“As it happened, Dr. Kim’s resolve weakened during her first hours in China when she saw the big bowl of white rice and meat set out for the dog. With each passing day, there was a fresh observation that would heighten her outrage over the lies she’s been fed. (257).

Dr. Kim, like many of the others, still felt guilt over abandoning their native land and faced some difficulty fitting in with the vastly different culture of South Korea.

Overall, Demick does an excellent job of narrating the lives of six vastly different people at various times in their lives. She moves through their stories with a gentle touch that reveals much more than current headlines about life in a country the size of Pennsylvania.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/nothing-to-envy/feed/0whithelm85-year old detainee apologizeshttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/85-year-old-detainee-apologizes/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/85-year-old-detainee-apologizes/#respondTue, 03 Dec 2013 06:23:57 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=253Continue reading →]]>As an update to last week’s post, Merrill Newman of Palo Alto, California has not only been confirmed to be in North Korea’s custody, but has issued an apology to the people of the country for “indelible crimes” during the Korean War.

“During the Korean War, I have been guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people,” the apology read.

Newman said he was an adviser of the Kuwol Unit of the UN Korea 6th Partisan Regiment part of the Intelligence Bureau of the Far East Command, a unit operating against North Korea. He also confessed to attempting to contact surviving soldiers during his trip.

Newman’s family is still pleading for his release, calling the detainment “mistaken identity”.

The White House issued a statement asking to Newman’s release.

“Given Mr. Newman’s advanced age and health conditions, we urge the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]to release Mr. Newman so he may return home and reunite with his family,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.

Instead of creating an entirely new blog post, I decided to just update this blog. Mr. Newman has been released and is currently back home with his family. However, Mr. Bae is still being held in North Korea.

Mr. Bae and Mr. Newman’s being detained in North Korea made me wonder how the United States has handled these situations with other countries.

In the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of the Army, an American reportedly held by the Taliban since 2012, the U.S. has stalled negotiations to bring him home. The U.S. Government has been opposed to negotiating with the Taliban.

Other cases of Americans being detained have typically been as a Prisoner of War in which the United States usually negotiations with the country holding the prisoner for release. I was unable to find any hard-fast rules about.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/85-year-old-detainee-apologizes/feed/0whithelm85-year-old detained in North Koreahttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/85-year-old-detained-in-north-korea/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/85-year-old-detained-in-north-korea/#respondWed, 27 Nov 2013 02:09:44 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=251Continue reading →]]>Unconfirmed reports of Merrill Newman of Palo Alto, California have circulated around the internet for the last few days.

The family of the 85-year-old said he has been detained since Oct. 26th , North Korean officials have not confirm the identity of the American citizen being detained. Newman, a Korean war veteran and a traveling companion were scheduled for a 10-day private tour of the country. He was reportedly pulled from a Beijing bound flight minutes before take off and has not been seen since.

This comes months after another American detainee, Kenneth Bae made headlines earlier this year and after North Korean lifted various travel restrictions making the country a destination for some Americans.

So far there is no word on either Bae or Newman’s release dates in North Korea.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/85-year-old-detained-in-north-korea/feed/0whithelmSouth Korea increases security around its borderhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/south-korea-increases-security-around-border-with-south-korea/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/south-korea-increases-security-around-border-with-south-korea/#respondWed, 20 Nov 2013 03:56:28 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=243Continue reading →]]>According to Yonhap News Agency based in Seoul, South Korea, the South Korean government increased security around the northwestern islands to counter any actions by North Korea.

This comes days before the anniversary of Yeonpyeong attack in which North Korea killed two civilians and two marines were killed on the island.

North Korea said the attack was a response to a live-fire exercise that fell in its waters.

Tensions between the two countries have been rocky as per usual the last few months. Some hoped the tensions would ease to due the announcement of the reopening Kaesong Industrial Complex , however since then several other issues have risen including the reported executed of 80 people by North Korean for watching banned television.

This is good news for either country, it further helps deteriorate an already fragile relationship. North and South Korea have a bloodily, complicated history. Even with small steps forward like the Industrial Park, there are many steps backward. Much hinges on the threats that North Korea has made against South Korea and the United States.

An Economist article, explained the state of North Korean missiles, which are it determined are a real threat. The article also said that it believes neither the U.S. or South Korea could stop North Korea, because both have been trying for decades with no solution.

I think there is a way to solve this, but is there a different way to approach the topic of missiles? At one point a relationship between the United States and Vietnam wasn’t imaginable, yet here we are. Foreign relationships are tricky, but not impossible.

Another article, explained the challenges both countries are facing. It seems that both need each other and surprisingly are oppositely matched in many ways, according to The Economist. But after years of turmoil, neither wants to admit being wrong or wants to find a way to work together.

Quinn said the new law will make Illinois roads safer because illegal immigrants will now be forced to take the driver’s test in order to operate a vehicle.

The driver’s license tests will be offered in Spanish, Polish, Mandarin Chinese and Korean. Executive Director of the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center Sik Son said that this is a victory for immigrants in an interview.

“Yeah, a lot of immigrant right organizations worked for that. We know that it isn’t perfect. I think it’ll be really helpful for an amount of people. I’m getting calls for community members about how they can get that. The response has been positive,” said Son.

Some have said the new law may not work because immigrants could fear deportation by singing up for the license.

“I can not say there is no fear about that, but there is more need to have driver’s license than fear,” said Son.

I think in Asian American people in terms of community size we are smaller than latino community, there is more of a fear than in larger community. People’s response to that coming out to ask for that information is good,” said Son.

The Chicago Tribune said that there have been long times at the Illinois Secretary of State offices where immigrants are attempting to sign up for an application appointment. The state will be able to sign up fewer than 120 people a day. Applications can submitted to the state on starting December 3rd.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/immigrant-drivers-licenses-in-illinois/feed/0whithelmThe Unknown Knownhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/the-unknown-known/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/the-unknown-known/#respondSat, 02 Nov 2013 20:25:31 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=224Continue reading →]]>A couple weeks ago, I went to the Chicago International Film Festival to see The Unknown Known, a documentary film by director Errol Morris. The film centers around Donald Rumsfeld, the former secretary of defense for several presidential terms in the White House, most controversially during the Iraq war.

The film is sliced between interviews with Rumsfeld, as he reads and discusses his “snowflakes”, the affectionate term for his internal White House memos and old press conference footage.

Words play a large part in this film with definitions both from Rumsfeld himself in his “snowflakes” or through Morris’ artistic use of definitions as Rumsfeld speaks.

Throughout the film, Mr. Rumsfeld repeatedly contradicted himself when pressed with questions about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At one point Rumsfeld stated, that there was never any public confusion on Saddam Hussein’s involvement on “The War On Terrorism,” Morris then cuts to a clip of Rumsfeld at a press conference immediately contradicting that statement by including Hussein with Iraq Terrorists. Even his definition of his phrase “unknown known” changes throughout the film.

The movie does a lot of this, comparing Rumsfeld’s memories and memos with old footage during the time. In a memo to former President of the United States, Geogre W. Bush, he writes ” ‘The absence of evidence isn’t the evidence of absence,” in regards to whether or not to invade Iraq for weapons of mass destruction.

In between this, Rumsfeld reflects on his life as a political figure, toward the end tearing up while speaking about a visit to Walter Reed Hospital and seeing wounded soldiers.

The movie provides glimpses into Rumfeld’s thought process and even a slight predication on the possibility of September 11th-like attack happening before it does. What it doesn’t do, however, is give great insight into the man, often during interviews Rumsfeld plays the perfect political role, rarely admitting fault for his actions just merely justifying them. One can not tell whether or not Rumsfeld truly stands by his decisions or if he is far to stubborn to admit his was wrong. At the end of this film you leave with more questions than answers.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/the-unknown-known/feed/0whithelmReasons to Talk To North Korea–Aggregated from the New York Timeshttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/reasons-to-talk-to-north-korea-aggregated-from-the-new-york-times/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/reasons-to-talk-to-north-korea-aggregated-from-the-new-york-times/#respondMon, 28 Oct 2013 03:30:52 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=222Continue reading →]]>Thought this was pretty important/interesting.

As officials in charge of American policy toward North Korea during the Clinton and Obama administrations, we met last month in Europe with senior representatives of the North Korean government to discuss relations between our countries. We believe that the current impasse, which only buys time for North Korea to develop its nuclear program, is unstable and that matters will only get worse if not addressed directly. It’s time for the Obama administration to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang.

The United States government has not had direct contact with a senior North Korean official for more than a year. Our private and unofficial meetings were an important opportunity to review the state of the regime’s thinking on bilateral relations and its willingness to give up its nuclear weapons program. The North Koreans — who are longtime participants in government-to-government talks and well plugged-in to their country’s leadership — stated that if dialogue were to resume, their nuclear weapons program would be on the negotiating table. They provided preliminary thinking on a phased approach that would start with a freeze of their program and end with denuclearization.

That process, they said, would have to include steps by America, such as the conclusion of a peace treaty to replace the temporary armistice that ended the Korean War, and the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on the North by the United States since the end of that war.

We stressed that Pyongyang needs to indicate clearly the concrete steps it would take both before and immediately after a return to the negotiating table. The North Koreans told us that they were prepared to enter talks without preconditions and would consider some confidence-building measures once talks begin.

The Obama administration says that the North must take steps to demonstrate its seriousness about denuclearization before, not after, dialogue resumes. Washington also has in mind steps that appear to be more far-reaching than those the North Koreans are considering, such as a moratorium on long-range rocket tests. Pyongyang wrecked a February 2012 agreement by launching a rocket later that year, claiming that space launches were allowed.

Overall, the Obama administration’s position reflects a healthy skepticism about the North Koreans, particularly given what happened in 2012.

Still, here we sit, with multiple dangers threatening both countries and the region, while Pyongyang moves ahead with its nuclear program. Whatever risks might be associated with new talks, they are less than those that come with doing nothing. Pyongyang’s nuclear stockpile will continue to expand, the North will continue to perfect its missile delivery systems, the danger of weapons-of-mass-destruction exports will grow, and the threat to U.S. allies will increase.

We recognize the pitfalls of negotiating with Pyongyang. The North Koreans have not abided by many of their past commitments. The United States should enter talks with the North with its eyes wide open.

While Washington is right to press Beijing to take a firmer hand with Pyongyang given their close ties with the North, we would be wrong to assume that the Chinese will solve this problem for us. The Chinese have their own concerns. They don’t want North Korea to have nuclear weapons, but they also don’t want North Korea to collapse under the weight of sanctions.

It is in the interests of both Pyongyang and Washington to show the flexibility needed to jump-start discussions. The United States should relax its requirement that North Korea meet its demands before any dialogue begins. Pyongyang should be ready to take steps not only at the very beginning of talks but also beforehand.

A confidence-building step that Pyongyang could take would be to release Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen held in a North Korean prison. It should follow up with other moves like a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and a suspension of operations at its main nuclear facility intended to produce bomb-making material, to be verified by international inspectors. Another important step by the North would be an end to missile tests, including “space launch vehicles.” Finally, Pyongyang should reaffirm the pledge to denuclearize that it made in a 2005 agreement among the United States, China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan.

Once talks begin, Washington should embrace two guiding principles. First, any new agreements must be based on “simultaneous, verified steps.” That approach means no unilateral concessions or moves but rather moving forward in lock step. Second, America should move quickly to talks on a peace treaty that formally ends the Korean War and improves our bilateral relationship, which are among the North’s main concerns.

Although President Obama and his national security team are busy with issues far from the Korean Peninsula, we believe it is imperative that the United States turn its attention to quickly resolving this dangerous situation.

Stephen W. Bosworth and Robert L. Gallucci were responsible for negotiations with North Korea during the first Obama and Clinton administrations, respectively. Mr. Bosworth is a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Mr. Gallucci is president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

I thought it was important to include the entire article, to get the full context of what Mr. Bosworth and Mr. Gallucci are saying. They offer excellent points and experience that I do not have to this discussion.

Should the United States talk to North Korea? Yes, for many of the reasons outlined by these two, for lack of a better word, experts.

The part I take issue with is solely wanting to orchestrate these talks as a means to dismantle a weapons program. North Korea, like most other countries, have a weapons program. The difference, outside of the threats, is that the U.S. has no control, which as Bosworth and Gallucci pointed out makes North Korea a threat.

The reason for talk and betterment of a relationship with North Korea, should be to help both countries economically. Bloomberg reported that Indonesia has begun meeting with officials from North Korea in order to foster trade, a main motivation for this is the industrial park partnership between South and North Korea, which have been expected to bring economic gains for both countries. If the United States could use its relationship with South Korea, and this formed partnership with North Korea to form a better relationship, then perhaps Kenneth Bae could be let free.

What Bosworth and Galluci stressed is true, in order for this to work ,”both Pyongyang and Washington to show the flexibility needed to jump-start discussions.” This can not be, as it has been, a meeting of demands.

Discussions need to happen.

This can not be a contest of “who will give up last” because everyone involved will lose.

]]>https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/reasons-to-talk-to-north-korea-aggregated-from-the-new-york-times/feed/0whithelmWrapping Injustice with A Bow–Zeitounhttps://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/wrapping-injustice-with-a-bow-zeitoun/
https://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/wrapping-injustice-with-a-bow-zeitoun/#respondTue, 15 Oct 2013 12:32:49 +0000http://whithelmwrites.wordpress.com/?p=195Continue reading →]]>The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina isn’t as visible eight years later. The photos and stories of that tragic hurricane are for the history books now. The constant news cycle that spit out images left and right of victims on rooftops and charity programs dedicated to the relief aren’t in our headlines.

Many faces, many personal stories that unfortunately have been easily forgotten years later. Except perhaps, one. Dave Eggers’ book Zeitoun focused on the struggle that one family had during the immediate aftermath of the hurricane.

The book begins in two days before the hurricane, setting up the story of the Syrian-American contractor Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his wife Kathy. Zeitoun’s opinion on the storm echoes the thoughts of many during that time, claiming the storm would be nothing big or not even make it to the city.

Kathy leaves the city with their children traveling to relatives’ homes while Zeitoun stays in the city. After the storm hits, despite Kathy’s protests and concern, Zeitoun remains helping rescue others from their homes. At one point, he is taken into the He is taken into custody under the suspicion of being a terrorist, while being held he is unable to contact Kathy and she assumes he is dead.

In an effort to not spoil the book, I will not mention the end. From this point on, I will discuss the details of the writing and the merit of their truth.

Eggers’ writing is the definition of “show not tell”. While describing a fire, he wrote, “As they watched, they glimpsed a few other watchers, faces orange and silent. There were no sirens, no authorities of any kind. Just a block of homes burning and sinking into the obsidian sea that had swallowed the city.”

He uses several pieces of the Zeitouns’ lives to build the characters, describing Kathy’s past before converting to Islam and Zeitoun’s relationship with his brothers. The descriptions move the story along and allow the sources to become characters that are multi-layered, something that a story like this needs.

Obviously for any journalist, throughout this book, while the writing is spectacular, I questioned the reporting and the details that made the book a strong read. The details felt a bit too reported. I questioned what Eggers’ fact-checked outside of his two main sources. The dates that the Hurricane hit the area, the speeches given by then-President Bush and the mayor of New Orleans seemed to be things that could be easily verified.

There are subtle moments in the reporting and writing that place the events in prospective, for me, one of those moments came on page 238, “It was all the more remarkable given that while the construction was taking place, on September 2, 3, and 4, thousands of residents were being plucked from rooftops, were being discovered alive and dead in attics.”

Eggers states in his methodology that conversations in the book were recounted from his subject’s memory. My problem with this, and maybe narrative journalism, is that by nature as journalists we are taught not to solely rely on memory and in a situation as sensitive as this one turns out to be at the end, how can we be sure in a traumatic situation as this one that all parties involved remember accurately.

Another issue I took with the book is the term, “bycatch” used to describe a fish caught by mistake in a fisherman’s net. Giving the heavy matter of the latter half of the book, this term is too cheeky. It’s almost disrespectful to the issues at hand and to the thousands of other people that face this same injustice everyday. The term is introduced through Zeitoun so perhaps he used it himself in interviews to describe his experience, but I don’t know if it should have been included in the book. It simply wraps an injustice with a bow and says “Oops, this was a mistake.”

Despite that grave writing mistake, Eggers’ book is a classic and worth the read.

Well, perhaps “breakthrough” is a bit strong. But I did learn a new term: 1.5

The term 1.5 is used to describe immigrants who moved to the United States when their young, they are in between first and second generations and may operate in the middle space balancing traditions with their new lives in America.

My subject was Ed Kahng, a now 57-year-old who has lived in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs since he was 13.

Over all, I think this was interesting and I’d always planned to do an interview a second-generation subject to see how their lives are and what traditions, if any, that they hold dear from Korean culture but this random stumble was worth it. I learned a new term and made a new connection into the immigrant population.